STOCKTON, Calif. - The Pacific men's basketball team (3-3) claimed its first victory in the Golden State Hoops Jam after beating Le Moyne at the buzzer, 73-71. The Tigers return for game two on Sunday afternoon.
 
Senior transfer guard Lesown Hallums, Jr. came up huge for the Tigers in his first start, leading the team with 21 points for a new season high with Pacific. Hallums Jr. shot 8-13 from the floor, including the game winning bucket at the buzzer. He also recorded four rebounds, three assists and key free throws.
 
"His best basketball is ahead of him. He struggled at the free throw line, but he got to the free throw line. He made two big ones down the stretch," head coach Leonard Perry shared on Hallums Jr.'s performance, "I believe in him, and as good a player as he's gonna be, he's a three times better kid. Every coach should have the opportunity to coach a kid like that."
 
Sophomore guard Moe Odum led the Tigers with four assists, adding three rebounds and a season high 18 points, shooting 7-13 from the floor. He hit four three pointers, settubg a career high made threes in a game. 
 
Senior forward Judson Martindale added 16 points in the winning effort, shooting 3-5 from beyond the arc and 40 percent from the floor. He went for five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Leading the Tigers in rebounds was senior guard Donovan Williams, he hauled in 11 rebounds on the night. 
 
The Tigers shot a 45.3 field goal percentage on the evening to Le Moyne's 38.7 percent. The Tigers were 36 percent from deep to 20 percent for the Dolphins, but Le Moyne stayed close by hitting 18-20 from the free throw line. 
 
Pacific dug in deep after missing some players due to illness and other health reasons to reach its second home win this season. The Tigers led by as many as 12 in the first half, shooting over 45 percent across the board. While they outshot the Dolphins through the first twenty minutes of play, they went into the break up 40-37.
 
Le Moyne rattled off a 12-2 run to start the second half, leading by as many as seven. It wasn't until there was under 10 minutes left in the game that Pacific tied it. With 13 lead changes and 10 ties by the end of the evening, the Dolphins took the one point lead with two minutes left in the game. With a three-point play after a Le Moyne dunk, the Dolphins went up 70-69.
 
A foul by Le Moyne sent Hallums Jr. to the line with 16 seconds left on the clock. He hit both to put the Tigers up one. The Dolphins got to the line with 1.9 remaining in regulation, responding with a miss and a make to tie it 71-71.
 
A heave by Martindale from the opposite baseline made its way to Hallums Jr. near the Pacific bench. As time nearly expired, Hallums Jr. shot the long two, netting the game winner as the buzzer sounded.
 
"I didn't think it would be easy. I expected a tough deal, and they gave it to us. They gave us all that we could handle, but I was happy for our kids the way they hung in there," Perry shared after the game, "They battled, they fought and when it looked bleak, they fought back. We competed and down the stretch, we had to execute. We had to get stops and do it without fouling and get key rebounds and we did it." 
 
Perry continued, "It came down to a last second shot, and I have been thinking about it after our loss to North Dakota. I had it in my head how I would do it differently and I was able to convey that on the board to the kids and they executed it 1000% percent. Everyone was exactly where they were supposed to be. Judson made an incredible pass. Lesown made an incredible catch and shot, so all the credit goes to them."
 
The Tigers return at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26 to the Alex G. Spanos Center as they host Mississippi Valley State in their second game of the Golden State Hoops Jam.